Zuckerberg Apologises to Govt Over Child Abuse, Deepfake Content

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised for the presence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), deepfake content and operational shortcomings on the company's platforms during recent engagements with the Indian government, according to media reports.

Meta's chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan and a host of global executives met Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology officials, including minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the reports added.

Zuckerberg conveyed his regret over the incidents and acknowledged lapses in content moderation and platform management.

During the discussions, government officials reportedly conveyed that Meta's operations go beyond those of a passive intermediary because the company actively determines how content is distributed and recommended to users.

Officials told the company that such practices raise questions over the applicability of the safe harbour protections available to intermediaries under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Meta Acknowledges Content Promotion

Meta acknowledged that it had accepted payments to boost certain categories of content on its platforms. Company representatives expressed regret over the issue and apologised for what they described as mistakes in the operation of the platforms .

"It was made clear to them that they are not covered under Intermediary definition. They select who receives the content. Safe harbour under IT Act not applicable. They admitted that a lot of money was paid for boosting certain type of content. They apologised and regretted the mistake," according to media reports.

The development comes as a parliamentary standing committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, gave Zuckerberg a three-day ultimatum to issue an apology for the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video from Facebook, with the panel warning that the company's legal immunity could be revoked if he fails to comply.

PM Modi's post, which was first shared on Instagram and later on Facebook, marked his first direct selfie video containing a message to Gen Z promising stringent measures against paper leaks amid the student protests in July. The Facebook version of the post was briefly restricted by Meta, which restored it after receiving backlash.

Dubey said Meta has been "misusing" the privilege of safe harbour protection and accused the company of acting as a publisher rather than an intermediary.

"We wrote to the Ministry of IT and the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that deleting the Prime Minister's video was not the responsibility of an intermediary but that of a publisher. Therefore, Mark Zuckerberg must apologise within three days. If he fails to do so, we will revoke the 'safe harbour' protection currently provided to social media platforms, a privilege that they have been misusing," he said.

The removal of the safe harbour clause would allow filing of FIRs directly against social media platform officials, with the committee saying the central government would provide the green light.

Additionally, last month, police in Hyderabad registered a case against the head of Meta India, Arun Srinivas, over multiple videos posted on Facebook that depicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an "abusive manner," according to reports.

The videos spread as Modi contended with the biggest wave of youth-led protests India has seen in more than a decade. The protests, spearheaded by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), were over leaked papers in national examinations and led to the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Notably, Meta has not publicly commented on the government's latest assertions. The company faced questions over the removal of PM Modi's video, while the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has initiated an inquiry into alleged advertisements linked to child sexual exploitative material on Meta's platforms following a media investigation.